Frozen storage container and frozen storage container system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11123264-B2
Application number	US-201716313410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2017
Priority date	Jun 28, 2016
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

A biological sample or drug stored inside a frozen storage container is not susceptible to contamination. The frozen storage container includes a container body with an internal space, and a partition wall which divides the internal space at least into a first space and a second space. In the container body, the first space is liquid-tightly sealed, the second space has an opening which is in communication with the outside, and the second space is liquid-tightly sealable by welding the container body. A frozen storage container system includes the frozen storage container; and a needle member which includes a needle tip portion capable of being inserted into the internal space of the container body and capable of piercing the partition wall, and has a flow path which is opened at the needle tip portion and is opened at a base end portion opposite to the needle tip portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A frozen storage container, comprising:
a container body with an internal space; and
a partition wall which divides the internal space of the container body at least into a first space and a second space,
wherein in the container body, the first space is liquid-tightly sealed and the second space has an opening which is in communication with the outside,
wherein the second space is liquid-tightly sealable by welding the container body, and
wherein the partition wall includes:
a tubular portion which is capable of being inserted into the internal space of the container body; and
a wall portion which divides an internal space of the tubular portion along a direction intersecting an axial direction of the tubular portion,
the partition wall is inserted into the internal space of the container body, and the tubular portion is welded to the container body.

2. The frozen storage container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second space is sealable by high-frequency welding the container body.

3. The frozen storage container according to claim 1 ,
wherein a portion defining the second space in the container body includes a neck portion whose external dimension is smaller than that of an end portion defining the opening of the second space.

4. The frozen storage container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the container body is translucent for visible light to transmit therethrough.

5. The frozen storage container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the partition wall includes:
a through hole which penetrates the wall portion; and
a folding bar which is connected with the wall portion to seal the through hole and opens the through hole by breaking a connecting portion with the wall portion.

6. A frozen storage container system, comprising:
the frozen storage container according to claim 1 ; and
a needle member which includes a needle tip portion capable of being inserted into the internal space of the container body and capable of piercing the partition wall, and has a flow path which is opened at the needle tip portion and is opened at a base end portion opposite to the needle tip portion.

7. The frozen storage container according to claim 1 ,
wherein the partition wall has a through hole; and
further comprising a folding bar comprising a connecting portion connecting to the partition wall so that the folding bar seals the through hole; and
wherein the connecting portion is a thin member configured to be irreversibly broken under an applied force at the folding bar so as to expose the through hole and allow a content of the internal space to flow out through the through hole when the folding bar is moved so as to break the connecting portion.

8. A storage container adapted to store a drug or biological sample while the storage container is exposed to a freezing environment, the storage container comprising:
a first elongated member having an internal space extending from a first end to an opposite, second end, the first elongated member including a neck portion, a body portion, and a second end portion, the neck portion extending from the first end to the body portion, the body portion extending from the neck portion to said second end portion, the second end portion extending from said body portion to said second end, the internal space having a first diameter along the neck portion and having a second diameter greater than the first diameter along the body portion, wherein said drug or biological sample is received for storage through the first end, stored in the body portion, and extracted for use through said second end portion;
a first weld at the first end of the first elongated member serving as a first closure of the internal space;
a second weld at the first elongated member in the neck portion spaced apart from the first weld and serving as a second closure of the internal space, thereby isolating a first portion of the internal space, which is located between said first weld and said second weld, from a second portion of the internal space, the first weld and the second weld being applied after the drug or biological sample is stored in the body portion;
a tubular partition member having a tubular portion and a wall portion, the wall portion defining a partition wall located within the tubular portion intermediate to respective ends of the tubular portion; and
a third weld at the second end portion sealing the tubular partition member within the first elongated member;
wherein the tubular partition member is fixedly positioned within said internal space, so that a first length portion of the tubular portion extends within the body portion, a second length portion of the tubular portion extends within said second end portion, and the partition wall seals the second portion of the internal space toward the second end of the first elongated member.

9. The storage container according to claim 8 , wherein the partition wall is puncturable by a needle permitting access to the drug or biological sample within said second portion of the internal space by the needle through the second end portion when the second end portion is opened.

10. The storage container according to claim 9 in combination with a needle member; and
wherein the needle member includes a needle tip portion and a base end portion and having a flow path which extends from a first opening at the needle tip portion to a second opening at the base end portion opposite to the needle tip portion; and
wherein the needle member is capable of piercing the partition wall when inserted into the tubular partition member at the second end portion of the elongated member when the second end portion has been opened.

11. The storage container according to claim 8 ,
wherein the partition wall has a through hole; and
wherein the tubular partition member further includes a folding bar which extends within the second end portion to the partition wall to block the through hole, the folding bar comprising a connecting portion connecting to the partition wall so that the folding bar seals the through hole isolating the internal space of the body portion from the internal space of the second end portion; and
wherein the connecting portion is a thin member configured to be irreversibly broken under an applied force at the folding bar so as to expose the through hole to the internal space of the second end portion and allow a content of the internal space of the body portion to flow through the through hole into the internal space of the second end portion when the folding bar is moved so as to break the connecting portion.

Assignees

• Nipro Corp
• Univ Kyoto

Inventors

• Nakatsuji Norio
• Suemori Hirofumi
• Takahashi Tsuneo
• Kawase Eihachiro
• Taguchi Atsushi
• Tomii Ryo

Classifications

• A01N1/10

  Preservation of living parts · CPC title

• A01N1/162

  Temperature processes, e.g. following predefined temperature changes over time · CPC title

• A01N1/147 Primary

  Carriers for immersion in cryogenic fluid for slow freezing or vitrification · CPC title

• B65B7/02

  Closing containers or receptacles deformed by, or taking-up shape, of, contents, e.g. bags, sacks · CPC title

• B65B51/22

  by friction or ultrasonic or high-frequency electrical means · CPC title